Inside the Uchiha clan district of Konoha, sunlight spilled across the quiet and peaceful streets.
In front of Uchiha Rengoku's house, the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
"Then I'm heading off first, Kaori-nee, Sister Ryuri!"
Karin waved her arms cheerfully, a bright smile spread across her face as she said goodbye to Uchiha Ryuri and Uchiha Kaori, who were standing at the doorway.
Uchiha Ryuri and Uchiha Kaori stood side by side, both leaning against the door with gentle smiles as they softly replied,
"Be careful on the way, Karin. Happy birthday!"
Hearing their blessing, Karin's smile grew even sweeter. She carried an exquisite box in her hands, then turned around and walked away with light steps, gradually heading off into the distance.
Watching Karin's figure fade farther and farther away, Kaori couldn't help slightly knitting her brows. She turned to look at Ryuri beside her, a hint of concern showing on her face as she said softly,
"Karin has been like this for a full five years now. I really don't know if something might go wrong if this keeps going."
Ryuri, however, let out a small giggle when she heard that and reassured her, "Don't worry, Kaori-nee. This was Karin's own choice. As long as she thinks it's fine and it makes her happy, that's enough."
As soon as she finished speaking, the smile on Ryuri's face quickly faded. A faint trace of longing appeared in her eyes as she murmured quietly, "Come to think of it, I really do miss Nii-chan."
Hearing Ryuri mention Uchiha Rengoku, Kaori gently reached out her hand and softly stroked Ryuri's long, silky hair.
In a gentle voice, she comforted her, "Don't worry too much, Ryuri. Rengoku will definitely come back safely. We just need to wait patiently."
———
[Orochimaru's Laboratory]
Carrying the box, Karin quickly arrived at the room where Rengoku's clone was.
She gently pushed open the door, and a burst of bright light rushed toward her, illuminating the entire room as if it were daytime.
There lay Rengoku quietly on a huge experimental platform, his eyes tightly closed, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
For many years, no matter how the outside world changed, he had always remained in this state.
Today, Karin didn't walk over to the book-covered desk like she usually did.
Those textbooks that once made her forget to eat and sleep had long been memorized and fully mastered by her.
Even so, she still appeared in this room on time every single day, practicing sealing techniques with full concentration, unwilling to go anywhere else.
Time had passed, yet Karin's appearance hadn't changed very much.
The clothes she wore were still the same sets that Rengoku personally took her to buy five years ago.
Standing beside Rengoku, Karin softly murmured, "Shishou, you probably don't know this, but Sasuke has grown taller than me now!"
She pouted slightly, a trace of unwillingness showing on her face.
"But fortunately, he still hasn't awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan yet, so he's still not as strong as me."
"Otherwise, he'd definitely be showing off and forcing me to call him Senior Brother!", Karin couldn't help laughing as she said this.
Then she continued enthusiastically,
"Oh, right, Shishou. Gaara has been working deep in the desert, trying hard to manage that new piece of land we obtained."
"Thanks to the efforts of him, Nawaki, and Yamato, the environment there has completely changed."
"The yellow sand that used to fill the sky has disappeared, and now it's entirely turned into a lush oasis!"
Excitement and pride sparkled in Karin's eyes, as if she had personally witnessed the whole process of that desert changing from barren to flourishing.
"Some citizens from the Land of Wind even secretly snuck over and said they want to submit to our Konoha Village."
Karin said excitedly as she sat down by the bed, her two slender legs swinging back and forth.
"Oh, and when Naruto celebrated his birthday last time, I went to his house as a guest."
"I really didn't expect Uncle Minato to be that amazing. Not only is he incredible at ninjutsu, his cooking is top-notch too."
"The dishes he made looked, smelled, and tasted amazing. Every single one made your mouth water just looking at it."
Karin showed a blissful expression as she recalled the scene.
"But Aunt Kushina's cooking was a little… special. Those strange shapes and flavors really opened my eyes! Haha!"
At that point, Karin couldn't hold back her laughter.
Even though she had already told Rengoku about some of these things before, she still spoke eagerly and endlessly about everything that had happened to her recently.
It was as if, as long as she could share these interesting stories with Rengoku, no matter how many times she said them, she would never grow tired of it.
Karin reached out and grabbed Rengoku's hand, then gently pressed it against her soft pink cheek, slowly rubbing against it.
She felt the warmth coming from his palm, and her heart filled with sweetness and happiness.
"When will Shishou finally come back? I miss you so much."
However, the only response she received was silence.
The room was completely quiet, without the slightest movement.
Karin's bright eyes gradually grew moist, and the rims of her eyes began to redden.
She sniffed hard, forcing herself not to let the tears fall.
"Shishou, do you know? Today is a special day."
"Because today I turned eighteen!"
"I can already become your bride."
After saying that, she opened the small box she had been carrying.
Inside the box was a carefully cut, delicate piece of cake.
Karin held the exquisite cake with both hands and cautiously brought it close to Rengoku's handsome face.
At that moment, her tears could no longer be held back. They burst forth like floodwaters breaking through a dam.
Crystal-clear drops slid down her cheeks and fell onto the cake in her hands, yet she didn't notice at all and didn't even raise a hand to wipe them away.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she gently dipped into a bit of cream from the cake, then slowly brought it to Rengoku's tightly closed lips.
Her movements were soft and full of affection, as if she was afraid of waking the man before her who made her heart race.
"Shishou…", Karin murmured softly, her voice filled with endless attachment and longing.
She slowly leaned her face closer to Rengoku, close enough to feel the warmth of his breath.
At that moment, she gathered her courage and gently kissed his lips.
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